


Get Him Out!

by Ace (HMSquared)



Category: Top Gear (US) RPF
Genre: Accidental Death, Choking, Dying in peace, Episode Related, Episode: s03e01 Police Cars, First Kiss, Hospitalization, M/M, Painless Death, Testing - Freeform, tear gas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-21 16:13:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18705817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HMSquared/pseuds/Ace
Summary: Angry he got screwed over, Rutledge forces Tanner to take the gas chamber test again.





	Get Him Out!

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

Tanner slowly exhaled, mentally preparing himself as they tossed the tear gas grenade in. He was happy he hadn't gone first (Adam had gotten that distinction), and from what his friend had said, it wouldn't be that bad. He just needed to resist the urge to rub his eyes or inhale. Then he'd be fine.

Balling his hands into fists, Tanner exhaled a second time. Realizing tensing up would make him sweat, he resorted to sitting on his fingers, closing his eyes and appreciating the clean air around him.

For three minutes, he was fine. But then Tanner's face was hit with pain, and he twitched. Though he would never admit it to his friends, he legitimately felt like he was going to throw up. Maybe Rutledge's nervousness wasn't so far-fetched after all.

Another minute passed, and he couldn't hold it in. Letting go of his left hand so he could cover his mouth with his arm, Tanner coughed. His throat stung for a split-second, and his nose began to run. He was starting to panic.

What reigned Tanner back in was when he looked at Adam and Rutledge through the bubble. This wasn't real, he told himself. It was a test, and he would be fine. Nothing terrible would happen to him because of this. If he really been in any danger, he would probably be screaming right now, slamming on the horn to get himself out. This was nowhere near that level.

It wasn't until they opened the bubble and let him out that Tanner started feeling nauseous. Walking over to the fan as fast as he could, he took several deep breaths and let himself relax. Rutledge was saying something behind him, something he barely caught over the whirring blades.

"I guess he is human after all," Rutledge whispered. Adam stifled a chuckle, and Tanner's heart flared. It was mainly his co-host's tone that pissed him off; looking over at the bubble, revenge came to mind.

When Adam returned from a bathroom break, Rutledge's bubble had just been zipped up. Tanner was watching with a smile on his face, and though Adam had no idea what he had done, he knew the race car driver had cheated in some way. Which...is that really so abnormal for Top Gear?

Rutledge only lasted 45 seconds, honking the horn three times to tap out. Adam felt a little bad for him (the tear gas really wasn't pleasant), but he was also curious about what exactly Tanner had done. Even with his weak stomach, Rutledge should have lasted longer.

Taking in air from the fan, Rutledge curled up on the ground in a ball, trying to breathe. Looking at him, sympathy filling his body, Tanner said,

"Rut, I have a confession to make."

"Yeah?" Rutledge groaned. "And what's that?"

"I opened your back door just before the bubble got zipped up." Rutledge looked over, then sat up. He seemed angry, and before Tanner could even apologize, he growled,

"You're doing it again."

"What?" The question came from Adam, Tanner chewing on his tongue and thinking. "Are you crazy?! Why should he..."

"I'll do it." Rutledge looked at him and said, swallowing,

"I didn't mean it, Tanner, you don't have to if you don't want to."

"A second grenade won't kill me, Rut." Tanner knew Rutledge wouldn't stay angry at him for long, but he wasn't going to take advantage of that. He had cheated, and the consequences weren't unreasonable.

 

Getting back in the car, Tanner closed his eyes and sighed. He would only have to stay in for four minutes this time (Rutledge and Adam had argued for three, but he had shut them both down), which made things slightly more manageable. Besides, the tear gas really hadn't been that bad. He could survive.

"How're you doing in there, Tanner?" Adam asked three minutes later. Looking at him, Tanner nodded, a small smile gracing the edge of his lips.

"I'm doing great, Adam. Just great." Right after he said that everything went to hell.

A yawn was forming. Tanner tried to stop it, but couldn't. His mouth opened, and tear gas rushed in, searing his throat and cutting off air. Grabbing the radio, he began to violently cough, only holding the button for a few seconds before he lost his grip.

"Get him out!" Adam shouted, the bubble already being unzipped. "Hold on, Tanner!" Tanner could barely hear him.

Once the bubble was open, they ran into a second problem: Tanner's door was stuck. Neither Adam or Rutledge had caused it; it was truly a fluke, albeit a deadly one.

The guys assisting them couldn't get the door open. Panic filling him, Adam rushed inside, Rutledge watching in confusion. Everything was made clear when the wrecker came back out with a crowbar.

The window was smashed, glass flying everywhere. Adam forced the door open, only to be greeted by a dying Tanner, eyes nearly rolled back into his head. He reached for Adam's collar and grazed it for a split second before collapsing onto the ground. Holding him, Adam yelled,

"Hang in there, Tanner! Hang in there..."

 

Rutledge arrived at the hospital with two bottles of water and found Adam nervously pacing, squeezing his hands into fists. Handing him one of the bottles he asked,

"What's Tanner's status?"

"If I knew, I'd tell you," Adam snapped. "Actually, no I wouldn't, because you're the one who caused all this."

"Adam..."

"Don't Adam me!" Adam spun around, glaring at Rutledge with a fury he had never seen before. "We could have stopped him from getting in that car, but we didn't! And now, thanks to your brilliant idea, he's probably dead!" His words hurt, but Rutledge's eyes widened.

"You like him, don't you?" Adam backed away, thinking.

"So what if I do?" Before Rutledge could respond, a doctor came out and gave them the news. Tanner was in a coma, and they were pumping air into him. He would probably wake up in a few hours, but they couldn't promise anything. Despite these things, Adam and Rutledge were allowed to see him.

Adam and Rutledge's hearts leaped into their throats when they opened the door and saw Tanner fast asleep with tubes in his nose, the heart rate monitor beeping lazily. Sitting down in a chair, Adam watched his friend sleep, not sure what to say or do. After a few minutes, Rutledge's phone beeped.

"It's the producers," he whispered. "They're probably going to fire me."

"Good luck," Adam grimly replied; he meant it. Nodding, Rutledge said,

"Either way, I'm probably going to head home after this. Think you'll be okay?" Adam nodded.

"Yeah. Goodnight, Rut."

"Night, Adam."

 

Time passed; Adam ate a few granola bars, refusing to leave Tanner's side. After a while, one of the nurses came in and took him off the breathalyzer, stating he could breathe on his own. Nodding, Adam waited until she was gone before squeezing Tanner's hand, praying he would be okay.

Tanner's eyes slowly opened. Adjusting to the light, he looked at Adam and whispered hoarsely,

"Hey."

"Hey." A grin formed on Adam's face, causing Tanner to smile.

"Where's Rutledge?"

"He got a call from the producers and said he was going home after taking it." Tanner nodded.

"I'm not angry at him, okay? This wasn't his fault."

"He knows, Tanner." Then, they finally acknowledged the elephant in the room, the fact that Adam was still holding Tanner's hand. Leaning forward, Tanner said quietly,

"I need to tell you something."

"Oh, and what's that?" Adam got his wish...sort of.

"I'm dying," Tanner whispered. "Not entirely sure how I know that, I just do. And so before I die, I need you to tell Rutledge I don't want him punished for this." Adam nodded, tears forming in his eyes. A soft grin forming, he then said quietly, "I love you, Adam. You know that, right?"

"Of course." Not letting go of his hand, Adam stood up and walked over to the right side of Tanner's bed. He leaned down just enough, and Tanner sealed the gap between them with a kiss.

 

When Rutledge returned to the hospital the next morning, he found Adam sitting on a bench with bloodshot eyes. He didn't need to ask anything; all he did was sit down and hug his friend.

The producers hadn't called Rutledge to fire him; they actually wanted to know about the accident. And as for Tanner? There was air in his body, but not enough. None of the doctors or nurses were at fault; his body had a very low chance of relapsing. He didn't die in pain, quietly passing away an hour after he and Adam kissed.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment!


End file.
